The house comes down as kung-fu man gives up fight

In the end the "nail house" of Chongqing, so called because its proud owners refused to be hammered down by Chinese developers, went less with a bang and more of a whimper.

The isolated dwelling, perched on an island of earth surrounded by a moat at least 10 m (33ft) deep, had become a symbol of defiance in the face of the country's breakneck modernisation, while the couple who lived there gained folk hero status in China for refusing to make way for a planned shopping centre.

Wu Ping, a kung-fu teacher, and his restaurateur wife Yang Wu had rejected compensation offers and instead demanded five million yuan (£327,000) and a house of the same size, height and exposure as their old one. Such a payment would represent a small fortune in China.

In the end, they packed up their belongings and shuffled away from their two-storey brick home after finally accepting the offer of a new home the same size as their old one. Moments later, with merciless accuracy, an excavator scaled the parapet on which the house stood and began to knock it down, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Last week a court ordered the couple to join the other 280 residents who had lived on their block and leave by next week or face forcible removal and in the end, they bowed to the excavators and bulldozers and settled for the offer of an apartment.

"I wanted to safeguard my dignity and lawful rights," said Wu Ping.

Internet commentators and editorial writers had championed the couple and they were supported by 85 per cent of those surveyed on the issue by the Sina website. Local residents were sympathetic, but ultimately fatalistic.

"Common people can't win against the developers. We shouldn't make trouble for the government," said Li Deshun.

The stand-off had a broader political significance because China passed a landmark property law last month which guaranteed the protection of private property. There are signs that the legacy of the Chongqing "nail house" may produce more defiance in the face of development.

Beijing authorities said yesterday they had demolished another "nail house" at the construction site of the new China Central Television (CCTV) Tower, which is half-finished.

The CCTV tower was designed by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and is part of the city's expansion plans for next year's Olympics.

"The house in eastern Beijing has hampered the construction of CCTV's new complex of office buildings which is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2008 Olympic Games," the Xinhua news agency said.

The owner had ignored an order to leave the house in November 2005.

"Law enforcement officials demolished the house after listing all of the contents of the building and moving them to another location," Xinhua said. "They videotaped the process."